Republican file photo by JOHN SUCHOCKIWistariahurst Museum gardens are tended to by local volunteers gardeners. Toi T. Graham, of Hampden, is president of the Western Mass Master Gardeners Association.

If you’ve got a green thumb – or even if you don’t – the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association has an opportunity for you to blossom as a gardener.

A 2013 Master Gardener training program will take place at Holyoke Community College from Jan. 8 to mid April on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. A few of the classes will take place at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge.

Master gardeners are trained volunteers who work together to assist home gardeners to improve their horticultural skills.

They conduct plant clinics at farmers markets and libraries, give lectures to community groups, garden clubs and school classes, present day-long workshops each spring in Berkshire, Franklin and Hampden counties, create demonstration gardens and answer questions by phone or email.

The comprehensive training includes lectures and demonstrations on all aspects of horticulture, from plant structure to lawn care, vegetable and fruit growing, houseplants, perennials and annuals, plus analysis of disease and insect problems.

University of Massachusetts professors, master gardeners and professionals in the field provide the lectures.

“Basically, we look for people with a passion for gardening and a willingness to volunteer,” said Toi T. Graham, president of the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association.

Upon completion of the course, trainees will complete 60 hours of volunteer work to share their new knowledge.

Volunteer opportunities include staffing hotlines, plant clinics and the master gardener booth at the Eastern States Exposition (this year’s Big E is underway through Sept. 30), speaking to garden groups, maintaining display gardens in various communities and, in Hampden County, restoring the gardens at Wistariahust Museum in Holyoke and Grandmother’s Garden in Westfield.

The training program provides an introduction to fields into which participants might not otherwise venture, Graham said. These include entomology (the study of insects), plant anatomy, weed identification and soil structure, “to give them a better understanding of how plants germinate and what can go wrong,” she said.

Master gardeners come from all walks of life, but they share a passion for gardening. “People are passionate about gardening and want to share their knowledge, passion and love of it with other people,” Graham said.

She enjoys “nurturing living things and watching them grow up” and “watching things become beautiful and standing back and knowing you did it.”

There is a camaraderie among master gardeners, she added, and they are “thrilled when they accomplish something new or more” with their gardening.

The training is open to residents of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties. Men and women of all ages and all gardening skill levels are encouraged to apply for the course, which has a fee of $300.

The course is limited to 50 participants.

The applications, which must be postmarked by Sept. 27, are available at the organization’s website, WMassMasterGardeners.org, or by contacting Laura Dumochel at 4 Orchard St., Adams, MA 01220 or at laura.dumouchel@gmail.com